Gemotions

The email arrived like a sudden storm. “Brian Thompson wants to be your friend.” Emily’s breath hitched. Brian Thompson. The boy who’d made her life a misery in high school. The one who'd spread cruel rumors and delighted in her humiliation.

She was standing in her sunlit kitchen, a bowl of fruit forgotten on the counter. The vibrant colors of the apples and oranges seemed suddenly muted.

She felt a coldness creep into her chest. He was probably after something, she reasoned. A favor, a job lead, or maybe just some sick sense of satisfaction in her possible failure. The thought made her want to hurl.